Border Crossings creates new intercultural, multi-media theatre in response to the contemporary globalised world.
The company works across the borders between cultures and art forms, and between nations and peoples.
Since 1995, Border Crossings has collaborated with artists and companies from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Palestine, Sweden, the USA and Zimbabwe, as well as the diverse communities of the UK.
Border Crossings productions have toured the UK, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Hungary, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Palestine, the Seychelles, Sweden and Zimbabwe.
"Borders may appear in many guises: psychological; racial; sexual; sociological; professional; as well as geographical. Paradoxically, the border may be at once what provides us with some security about our identity, demarcating ourselves from others, while also being the barrier that prevents us from developing new capacities or trying on new identities. Theatre processes, on the other hand, depend upon the willingness of the actor to cross borders not only to impersonate the dress, manner and speech of another but also to achieve, temporarily, the ultimate expression of border-crossing, empathy."
(Prof. Tim Prentki: "Introduction to Border Crossing" - in The Applied Theatre Reader. Routledge 2009)
"What if, the girl says. Instead of saying, this border divides these places. We said, this border unites these places. This border holds together these two really interesting different places. What if we declared border crossings places where, listen, when you crossed them, you yourself became doubly possible..... Instead of having to prove who you are with a paper booklet or by showing a screen your eye or the print in your finger or the information about your face. Instead, you could prove who you are by what you see with your eyes and by what you make with your hands and - "
(Ali Smith: Spring. Hamish Hamilton 2019)
Click here to download our latest Annual Report.
Vision
Border Crossings imagines and works towards a world that is profoundly shared through participatory cultural exchange.
Mission
In response to the contemporary globalised world, Border Crossings creates a theatrical and cultural space in which peoples come together as equals for creativity and dialogue.
In order to do this we:
- Create high-quality international performances
- Curate festivals of Indigenous arts and culture
- Collaborate with leading artists from a range of different countries and backgrounds and with the diverse communities that make up contemporary society
- Communicate artistic work and cultural debates through educational and media channels
- Challenge unjust or inequitable power structures and practices
Values
- The Right to Culture - Art and cultural expression are human rights. They are essential to life, and should therefore be cherished, promoted and defended.
- Equity - We recognise the imbalances of power in the world and seek to challenge these. Border Crossings fosters and promotes intercultural dialogue and international exchange promoting real participation and accessibility.
- Difference - Border Crossings embraces cultural differences and champions a community of diverse peoples, practices, and ideas. We foster a culture which values openness, diversity, and respect for individuals and communities, enabling multiple voices to be heard.
- Collaboration and Participation - Border Crossings presents theatre and other cultural works that are communally created. We strive for a shared vision through dynamic connection and communication, while celebrating the individual voice, the synthesis of competing priorities and the acknowledgement of all contributions.
- Innovation - Border Crossings invests in theatre and other arts that are culturally, socially and politically progressive, challenging and innovative, neither bound by formality nor constrained by convention.
Environmental concerns are crucial to our work: you can download our Environmental Policy here.
Border Crossings is certified as Carbon Neutral via Carbon Neutral Britain’s Small Business Programme, and is affiliated to Culture Declares Emergency.
Border Crossings has a full range of policies on Equal Opportunities, Child Protection, Lone Working etc. Our policy on Bullying, Harassment and Unwanted Sexual Attention can be downloaded here. Other policies are available on request. In line with our stance on Environmentalism and Sustainability, Border Crossings runs a virtual office, with the company's officers working sustainably from home.
In 2019, Border Crossings established a sister company in the Republic of Ireland. bordercrossings.ie
In July 2022, both companies issued THE SLIGO MANIFESTO, which you can read here, and watch in the video below.
